Page 73 of Knight's Desire

He leaned down to kiss her, intending the kiss to be brief. Hope deepened the kiss, rolling her body until she straddled his. When she raised her head, her smile was serene, but the gleam in her eyes was wicked.

“What do you say we use this opportunity to add to those happy memories?”

His eyes watched her in concern. “We don’t have to do anything, but be together, Hope. You’ve been through a lot.”

“And my one thought through all of that was getting back to you. I don’t want to waste a moment of being with you.”

He quirked an eyebrow as he studied her. “You sure?”

She lowered her head again, her lips hovering over his. “Oh, yeah,” she moaned before she poured her love for him into a soul-searing kiss.

∞∞∞

Brick stroked his thumb softly over the back of her hand as he held it against his thigh. He glanced over at Hope, her beauty taking his breath away. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a bouncy ponytail, so he had a full view of her bright eyes, full lips, and smooth curve of her jaw. Her bruise had faded enough for her to cover it with makeup, and those on her body were healing. With time, her emotional wounds would heal. He already saw signs of the old Hope in her smile and her creative vibe. The first time since the abduction that he saw her with her sketchbook, he knew she was moving past the trauma and returning to her normal life.

He also loved seeing how easily she carved her own place in his life. Seeing you laughing and talking with his KSI family filled him with a sense of peace. They gathered at Tristin and Kat’s, their first since the twins’ birth. Though no one wanted to intrude on the new family’s privacy, Tristin and Kat insisted on having everyone come over. They wanted their daughters to become used to having their extended family around.

The KSI family had fallen instantly in love with Hannah Lauren and Lilah Katherine Knight. The twins had behaved remarkably well as they were passed around between their chosen aunts and uncles. The noise alone should have been enough to disturb them, what with the Alpha and Delta Teams, all the investigators, Jordan, and all of the wives and children that completed their group being present. The only one missing was their receptionist, but Sarah had other plans and vowed to visit the Knights later.

Hannah and Lilah rose to the occasion, absorbing all of the attention and charming everyone as much as they had their parents. Brick thought his heart would burst watching Hope hold the babies, who cooed and reached to hold her hair while she sang to them. He could easily picture her holding their own baby, and one day he’d make that picture a reality.

For now, he was listening to Marlowe describe the great time she had at her dance, and he blushed when he had to explain to Hope how he’d fulfilled the promise he made to the little girl. The blush was completely worth it when Hope laughed, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

“Our group keeps growing,” Kat said as she watched her friends laugh and tease each other while her daughters took it all in as if it was an everyday occurrence for them. It would be as they grew older, but for now, just being a few days old, Kat was surprised to see how well they adjusted to their extended family.

“More than I ever expected, but I love seeing it,” Tristin said.

Kat tilted her head up to gaze into her husband’s face. “When are you going to tell them?”

Some of the light went out of Tristin’s brilliant blue eyes. “Not tonight. Soon, but tonight, it’s about family and nothing else.”

“Keeping secrets?”

Jay suddenly appeared at the couple’s side, and Tristin rolled his eyes at how the Alpha Team leader eavesdropped on their conversation without qualm.

“No secrets. Just news I’m not ready to share.”

“Yeah, better to wait and tell everyone you’re stepping back when it’s not a social occasion.” Jay sipped his beer as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on his friends.

“How did you…” Kat couldn’t finish her question since she was stunned at Jay’s accurate assumption.

Jay smirked. “Please, I’ve known the two of you for years, and I’ve watched Tryst hover over those girls like he’s afraid the boogeyman is going to steal them away.”

“I put a lot into building the company. It was going to take a lot for me to step away from it. But looking at Hannah and Lilah, can you blame me?”

“Nope. Do what you have to, man. Even if you step back, you’re still one of us. All I ask is that we get a say in who replaces you.”

“I’ll still own the company. I’m only planning to hire a CEO to run the business with my input from time to time. As far as my replacement, I’ve already chosen one.” Tristin waited until he had Jay’s attention, and he grinned to see Jay’s eyebrow quirk. “You, my friend. The job’s yours if you want it.”

Jay didn’t respond at first. He lowered his head, his jaw flexing as he considered Tristin’s words. Tristin slapped his friend on the back. He knew Jay would be surprised at the offer, but he earned it. He helped Tristin build the company, and he’d remained loyal and hardworking. They all looked to him as a leader, even the Deltas. Even Brick, who’d been with the company almost from the start as well.

“Think about it. Talk to Payton. I’m not ready to make the announcement yet, so there’s time for you to decide,” Tristin told him.

“I don’t need time, man. I’ve already been thinking about stepping down from the team, especially since Sam is looking to rejoin. Payton and I are talking about adopting again, and I don’t like the idea of not being around for my wife and kids if an operation goes wrong.”

“Damn, man, we are more alike than I thought.”

Jay scowled at Tristin’s teasing. “We’re nothing alike.”

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